Time's up for Tony

Tony Blair’s time in office was controversial enough but what he did next has really undermined his reputation. Leaked emails seen by The Telegraph suggest that his work as a Middle East envoy was secretly funded by a wealthy Arab state that also employed him as a paid adviser.

The job itself was unusual enough: Mr Blair’s critics would say he’s the last man to bring peace to the Middle East. But these new revelations will also raise questions about potential conflicts of interest between Mr Blair’s private and public work, conflicts that his office denies.

There is nothing wrong with former prime ministers either making money or maintaining a public role. Mr Blair draws people’s ire because of the way he goes about things. There is some hypocrisy in offering solutions to wars when he was involved in so many himself, and his sense of high-minded mission is contradicted by that nagging allegation...